When in Rome
by Acara Otanbi
Summary: It's never safe to walk in the back alleys of Gotham at night. There are bound to be freaks running around. Unfortunately, some mob fools found one... Set Post BB/ Pre TDK. Based off of TDK Gotham City News Reels
1. Chapter 1

The swirls of automobile exhaust and grungy fog tickled his nose and throat making it nearly impossible to suppress a giggle. _"Smog" was not an accurate name for the carbon gases vomited out into the atmosphere on a daily basis. The mere fact that they were more hazardous than a firearm was nothing short of ironic. Hell, it was hilarious! _Unable to control himself any longer, he burst into laughter._ Humans worked so hard trying to keep their lives in order when they only wound up killing themselves faster. Who could not see the humor in that?_

Suddenly, two pairs of shuffling footsteps caught his attention. _Ah, just the couple of Italians I was waiting for. _The fat man walked with a slight limp that suggested he had multiple knee replacements due to his excessive weight. His white hair and glasses made the onlooker wonder why the man didn't just sell himself off as Santa Claus during Christmas. Instead, this old fart was stumbling down a back alley near the Narrows on a late spring Tuesday night.

The onlooker couldn't help but think that his middle-aged companion was meant to compliment him in a comedy duo. The man was the exact opposite of his companion. He was as thin as a pool cue and had a black mass of hair residing comfortably on top of his head. His tan skin was a marked contrast to the old man's Pillsbury Dough Boy complexion. But the thing that bugged him the most was the fact that he was a squealer. The onlooker could tell by the way the man's hands shook with every sideways glance he took at his surroundings. His graying mustache quivered with open fear on his upper lip as he spoke, "…Sal said that he's considering shuffling around his dough again."

The older man huffed with disapproval as he wiped his wide, sweaty brow with a handkerchief from the breast pocket of his jacket. "Maroni is a fool! Falcone would never let this happen! Back in my day-"

"No one cares about 'your days', Camera! Since Falcone's been gone, it's been everyman for himself!" cried the younger man angrily, his hands flailing about in attempt to emphasize his point. The older man stopped walking, turning briskly to face his partner. The younger of the two must have failed to realize that 'back in the day' interrupting your superior was equivalent to messing around with his wife. Both acts led to the same lethal end. Camera sought to correct his partner's impudence with his own little lecture, "It's all because of that _damn bat! _We used to be a family with respect and honor! Now we have him and every damn cop looking into our business! Who the hell does he think he is? No _freak _is going to run us off the streets of our city!"

The eavesdropper shifted his shoulders uncomfortably at the mention of the Batman. _He had changed things. Forever. There was no going back so the way things were before. He himself had already past through the threshold and since then, had he never stopped to look back. Not that there was anything he really had to look back at. It had all burned, just as everything in this world would in its own time. He was an unstoppable force that could not be controlled or predicted by anyone…_

_And that's exactly what he prided himself on. Those mob fools just didn't get it. They refused to believe that their perfect little plan had been turned on its head. They still believed that they could go back to the way things were. But then again, the schemers always got what they deserved…_

"Amen to that," responded Camera's companion as he tucked his shaking hands into his pockets, rummaging for something. Camera took a few hobbling steps forward before realizing that he was alone. The elder looked back at his partner, and exclaimed, "Rosolio! What the hell are you doing just standing there? Let's get a move on! I have to get home before my wife puts away the dessert!"

"Wait a second, Camera. I just need to-", his fingers finally located the object of his quest, "found it!"

Rosolio quickly pulled out his prize, showing it to his companion. Camera frowned at the sight of the small rectangular cardboard box in his hand. It was a carton of filtered cigarettes that was practically full.

"Come on, Rosolio. I thought that you told me you quit! What is your wife going to think?"

"My wife," he searched for his lighter in his other pocket, "isn't going-" he just couldn't seem to find it, "to know." He let out a sigh in disappointment at his failure to locate the elusive lighter. He looked in his breast pocket of his collared shirt but it only proved to be futile. There was simply no lighter on his person. The desperate man looked up at his companion for a solution to his problem but only received a grim nod in response. _So eager to shorten his lifespan and ultimately kill himself…I think I can assist him in achieving his death wish._

It was in that instant that the eavesdropper finally decided to act upon his intentions. Such a delectable opportunity could not be passed up so carelessly. Levering himself off the grimy wall, he rocked forward onto the balls of his patented leather shoes. He quickly straightened out his coat, ran a hand through his grungy dyed hair, and tipped his fedora lower on his brow. _After all, appearance was everything in this business. _The corners of his mouth twitched upward as he set his sights on the two men not ten feet away from him.

He took slow but deliberate steps towards his intended targets. They had not even noticed his presence until he was less than five feet away from the fat one. The fools had been too preoccupied arguing about each others' fatal vices that would ultimately lead to their premature demise. _Oh how wrong they were. Those petty follies would certain do them no harm if they were already dead. _There was a light suspended above the backdoor on building that flooded the alleyway, illuminating the dingy space between the brick barriers on either side. The new arrival stood at the rim of the light, leaving his figure partially obscured by the darkness. He had discovered early on that theatricality had its advantages in his line of work. Camera was the first to notice his lurking shadow out of the corner of his eye. The old geezer sucked in air, stumbled a few steps back, and asked rather testily, "What the Hell do you want?"

The newcomer took a single step forward; the majority of his face was concealed by the shadows cast by his deep purple fedora. His gloved right hand disappeared into his matching suit coat as he took another purposeful step forward.

"You know what they say…"

Another slow step forward pulled his entire frame into clarity. He was garbed entirely in a solid colored suit of deep purple that was too gaudy for everyday use. His shoes glinted in the limited lighting, suggesting that he had taken extra care of them. The man kept his head bowed, making it impossible to discern any facial features. Not that that would truly be relevant anytime soon. At least, for the two men he approached with grace and ease. Camera took a reciprocal step away from the stranger, placing himself next to Rosolio. The poor fool probably had never heard that a retreat was a sign of cowardice. He hated cowards as much as he hated squealers.

"When in Rome…"

Like magic, the stranger's hand reappeared from inside the depths of his coat with a sharp, gleaming knife. The two Italians froze with fear, their fight or flight reflexes failing them in the end. Silently, they cursed not bringing some manner of protection with them. At last, the man raised his head and held it level with his slouching shoulders. He watched in extreme pleasure as their faces drained of blood at the sight of his face. His skin glowed a ghastly white in the terrible lighting. But what unsettled Camera and Rosolio the most was not his weapon but his smile.

His torn lips were mere remnants of a human guise that clung to the frame of a demon. The twisted parody of a non-maleficent emotion drew back, widening the open maw filled with glinting yellow teeth. The red line ran jagged over the crooked scars, appearing inflamed with the infernal glee that consumed him as he said, "Kill the Romans and burn the city to the ground."

A pink tongue flitted out over the marred flesh, leaving a thin trail of saliva in its wake. It was almost as if he was sampling the forthcoming carnage. The upturned edges ascended in amusement as his intended prey suddenly decided to flee. A fatal glint crossed the crimson maw as the madman lunged towards them. His blade met flesh, sanguine covering its reflective surface. Maniacal laughter issued from the horrid lips as the Italians' screams were devoured in the midnight breeze…

**Author's Note: For those of you Nolanverse freaks like me, you might recognize these mobsters' names from the TDK cable TV Gotham news reel promos. I plan on attaching an epilogue to this oneshot to clear up the confusion about these two victims' identities. Otherwise, cheers!**


	2. Epilogue

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. This is Gotham City News Tonight at eight o'clock.

Tonight we will open up with the headline story that everyone has talking. This morning, two known Salvatore Maroni associates were found murdered in a children's playground at the Narrows East End Park. The bodies were discovered by a class of grade school children on a field trip to the park. The class teacher immediately dialed 911 and had the children sent home early. Gotham PD arrived on the scene, only to be horrified by what the children had discovered. One officer described it as a "grotesque scene from a twisted children's fable".

The two victims were found bound, gagged, and tied to opposite ends of a seesaw. The coroner's office has been able to conclude that they had been dead less than six hours before the unfortunate children discovered them. There has been no word yet on how the two victims died but their identities have been confirmed by Gotham PD."

Two black and white photos of the victims appeared on the screen briefly with their names listed under them. The heavyset, older man was Romeo Camera and the younger, thinner one was Steve Rosolio. The viewer's lips twitched at the corners at the sight of these men. _How wonderful, now everyone knows that these mob fools are dead._

"…If somebody were looking for the men who handled the mob's money, these were the guys. No other crime family has taken ownership of this crime yet but it is expected that such a proclamation will have deadly consequences.

Although the overall crime rate in Gotham City has dropped by more than sixty percent, the rate of increasingly daring and unusual crimes has risen dramatically since the appearance of the vigilante known as Batman.

This is but another bizarre crime in a long line that has stretched back to a little over eleven months ago, after the Narrows Incident. Among these disturbing occurrences, was the theft of a large shipment of ammonium nitrate from the docks. Security footage later revealed that before leaving the docks with the stolen goods, the thief took off his clown mask and smiled directly into the camera. The thief is still at large and Gotham PD is asking for your help in locating…"

The newscaster was soon drowned out by the hysterical fits of laughter coming from the pale-faced man watching the television. His ruined lips never ceased to smile as he shook from the lack of oxygen and the sound reverberated off the walls that surrounded him. _And it all was so very funny…_

**And there you have it, ladies and gentlemen! The end of my very first completed fanfic! I got the epilogue most of the epilogue from a couple of episodes of the Gotham City News Tonight report. I acquired most of the info from watching it a few times and taking notes. It may not be word for word (which would be plagiarism, which I would never do!), but I spun this information into the meat of the story and made it my own. I forget which two episodes I watched but one was regarding the rise in unusual and violent crimes in Gotham and the other was on Harvey Dent's policy towards the Batman. **

**I have another one on the way, which is half finished but still needs a lot of editing. So any Beta-readers are welcome to help me out on this one here and the one coming soon! Thank you all very much for reading my story! Until next time! *NAHNAHNAHA, BATMAN!***


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